We received the following question: “When I feel stressed, my eye closes on its own. Does an emotional state have that much influence on Bell’s palsy?”
Bell’s palsy versus complications and residuals
Before we dive into the explanation, we would like to clarify that an emotional state cannot have any influence on Bell’s palsy per se – because it has already happened. Stress and your emotional state can be a risk factor for facial palsy. Once you recover from the acute Bell’s palsy, it has passed, you do not suffer from Bell’s palsy anymore, but only from its complications and residual effects.
Emotional state can influence the manifestation of complications and residuals
We are certain that a strong emotional state and stress, can have a significant influence on the manifestation of any complications and residuals you might have after your long-term recovery. So to answer the question above: yes, it is possible that under stress, or any strong emotional state, your eye can close on its own. It is important to note that just as any strong negative emotional state can put your body into stress, so can the positive response. A strong positive emotional response can also put the body into stress and affect the manifestations of synkinesis, contractures or facial pains.
